5 minute read
Pets
from Voice Magazines - Broadmeadows, South Normanton, Blackwell, Newton & Hilcote Edition - August 2021
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Top 10 First Aid Tips
g your pets protected
from
1. Accidents can happen at any time, it is important to be prepared for any eventuality. Be prepared! Create or purchase a first aid kit. 2. First Aid is precisely that. They’re the first steps to providing aid for your pet, the aim is to prevent damage, not cause it. 3. If a pet becomes distressed, STOP. 4. Always follow up any administration of first aid with a check-up with your vet. 5. Never give human medicines to animals. 6. Ensure the safety of yourself and others around you. Make sure you keep calm and assess the situation. 7. Distressed or injured animals may demonstrate behavioural traits not usually associated with them so speak quietly and reassuringly to your pet. 8. 9. Move slowly to prevent any further distress and stay in view of your pet. Always phone ahead and contact your vet as soon as possible. They sound horrible. 10. Do not try to manage serious situations on your own. And to be honest, they are. 30 Don’t forget to mention Voice Magazines when responding to the AdsBook a visit with us today to start a vaccination course or continue
HOME IMPROVEMENTSInternational Dog’s Day - 26 August Man’s best friend - that’s how we think of dogs these days. From tiny Yorkies and Pomeranians to ginormous Malamutes and Great Danes, dogs share our lives, our food (sometimes without invitation!) and often our beds.
Dogs - or rather their earlier incarnation… wolves - were the first animal to be domesticated by humans, archaeological evidence suggests this may have begun to happen at least 30,000 years ago. Like people, wolves are pack animals, they need other pack members to survive, and if a wolf puppy were accepted into a group of humans, it isn’t hard to see that his natural wolfish instincts would transfer to his ‘people pack’. Our early ancestors may have used their tamed wolves to help them hunt, and over time chose the traits they valued most to selectively breed animals - ultimately leading to the huge variety of dog breeds we know and love today. A more recent theory about the domestication of wolves has suggested that wolves to some extent selfdomesticated. Most wolves would have been wary and aggressive around humans, in competition for food, but there may have been some friendlier animals who were able to ingratiate themselves in return for a steady supply of food. We all know just HOW wonderfully friendly and appealing modern day dogs can be when food is involved, it isn’t too big a stretch in imagination to see how a lovable wolf could have become part of a human tribe!
When researching this article I tried to establish how may different breeds of dogs there are, and the general consensus seems to be that no one really knows! The “Federation Cynologique International (FCI)” is the World Canine association (99 members from around the globe) and it officially recognises 354 breeds, but there are probably many, many more. Why do we love our canine friends so much? Could it be the absolutely unquestioning devotion they give us? The companionship offered with no strings - other than providing food and fuss of course. And what makes dogs so loving and loyal towards their human families? The clue to these answers has already been mentioned - both humans and dogs (domesticated wolves!) are pack animals at heart. Humans have hierarchies, so do dogs, we understand each other at a very primal level, and remember the dogs we share our lives with today are descended from the original domesticated wolves who chose to live with their human neighbours (or were selected because they were friendly and loving). When our canine friends pass away (step over the rainbow bridge as some say) we grieve in exactly the same way as we do for a human family member. And when a dog loses a beloved owner, it is obvious they grieve too. Humans and dogs have lived together for thousands of years and there’s no sign of this changing, and we at Voice Magazines wouldn’t have it any other way!
These articles are researched and written by Laura Billingham, a local content writer and author. Laura moved to the Peak District several years ago to pursue her passion for writing.
